The dispute dates back to April 2008 when LeMond sued bicycle manufacturer Trek, claiming the company failed to promote his signature line of bikes in Europe because of pressure from Armstrong. Waterloo, Wis.-based Trek sponsors bicycle racing teams and athletes, including Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France.

Armstrong is not a party to LeMond's suit. But on Thursday, lawyers for LeMond took a deposition of Armstrong’s ex-wife, Kristin, in Austin. And according to her lawyer, the line of questioning took a nasty turn.

"I asked them to tell me what on earth this had to do with the [Trek] contract case," says Herman, who has represented Lance Armstrong in the past. "They just kept pressing on, so I just instructed [Kristin] not to answer the questions. I told them I was going to suspend the deposition, which I thought was being taken in bad faith, and then they finally asked her relevant questions that she answered fully and completely."

After the deposition concluded, Herman filed a motion to intervene in the Minnesota case and terminate or limit Kristin Armstrong's deposition to relevant areas of inquiry.

LeMond’s new lawyers from Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, led by litigation partner James DiBoise, deposed Kristin Armstrong. DiBoise declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Am Law Daily.

LeMond’s former attorneys from Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi terminated their involvement in the case in early September. Lawyers close to the case say that Robins Kaplan bowed out in a dispute over legal fees.

Both fact and expert discovery have closed in the case, which sources say unsuccessfully went to mediation in the summer. Both sides have filed motions for summary judgment. No trial date has been set, but an October 27 hearing has been scheduled on Kristin Armstrong’s motion to intervene and terminate her deposition.